Into the Forest
by Caribbean1989
Summary: 'Thranduil immediately sensed that something was not right in this part of the forest. He halted his horse and looked all around him with a frown on his face, trying to determine what it was that caused his unease'. A trip through his own forest goes badly wrong for Thranduil... Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

"Father, I protest to this!" Legolas stomped after Thranduil through the halls of the Woodland Realm.  
>"We already talked about this" Thranduil answered coldly, "our border settlement in the north requests my council and I have granted their request".<br>"Let me go in your stead!" Legolas threw in.  
>"No" Thranduil answered curtly. The king never stopped walking and Legolas never stopped trailing him.<br>"Than at least allow me or Tauriel to accompany you" Legolas said.  
>"I will be travelling with twelve highly capable members of the King's Guard" Thranduil said, "more than enough for a two-day journey through my own land. You and Tauriel are needed here".<br>"Father…" the desperation of the word made Thranduil halt and turn around to look at his son.  
>"You will have to travel through a part of the forest we have not been able to clear completely" Legolas continued, "there are still spiders' nests there and who knows what else. I fear it is not safe".<p>

The glare that Thranduil gave his son, made Legolas feel very small.  
>"I know how to defend myself". The words did not have a fatherly or comforting tone, but sounded cold and almost like he had been insulted.<br>Legolas knew this meant the end of their discussion and did not object as his father turned around again and walked away from him. 

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><p>Outside the halls, the King's Guard was already on their horses, ready for departure. One horse was still without a rider, clearly waiting for the king.<p>

Legolas had followed his father out a short distance behind him.  
>He found Tauriel leaning against the outside wall of the gate, silently watching Thranduil and his guards. The look on her face matched exactly with what Legolas felt.<br>"I am not liking this" she said worriedly as Legolas stood next to her.  
>"Neither am I" Legolas sighed gravely.<p>

"I will be back within two days" Thranduil called over to Legolas, "take up my throne for the time I am away".  
>"Father…" Legolas tried one last time. Thranduil only had to hold up a hand to silence his son and Legolas knew arguing was hopeless. His father had made up his mind and there was no changing it anymore.<p>

Without another word to his son, or anyone else, Thranduil turned his horse.  
>"Move out" he commanded his guards.<br>The horses started moving as one. All Legolas and Tauriel could do was watch as the king and his guards disappeared into the forest. 

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><p>His own forest held no secrets for him. He liked the idea of knowing everything that was going on in his land. Like a king should.<br>No matter what his reputation was with the rest of Middle Earth, his own land did not have mysteries to him. Or at least, so he thought…

That was why Thranduil immediately sensed that something was not right in this part of the forest.  
>He halted his horse and looked all around him with a frown on his face, trying to determine what it was that caused his unease.<br>"Milord? Is everything alright?" one of his guards asked.  
>Thranduil took his time answering the question, all the while scanning his surroundings suspiciously. All his guards were now staring at him in anticipation of an answer.<br>"No" the Elven King finally answered gravely.

Thranduil had not even finished speaking the word, when about thirty Orcs jumped out of the trees and ran from the cover of the bushes.

The ambush was very well executed. The first two guards were completely taken by surprise and were slain quickly.  
>The Orcs seemed to realize that swiftness was paramount when attacking Elves. The element of surprise was the Orcs' only real weapon and this troop had that perfected to a fault.<p>

Thranduil unsheathed his sword before the first Orc could reach him and managed to kill the foul being with a few swift motions of his blade.  
>He had no time to think on his next move, for more Orcs were storming his way.<br>Thranduil allowed the warrior in himself to take over. It had been long since he had fought like this, but he was still swift and accurate with a blade.

Naturally, his guards were trained for battle to perfection. But, no matter how hard they fought, it quickly seemed a losing battle.  
>Ever more Orcs kept appearing almost as if out of nowhere and it was not long before Thranduil and only one of his guards were the only ones still standing. The rest of the Elves was either dead or dying, mortally wounded by the Orcs.<p>

Thranduil saw four Orcs at once charging his way, their weapons raised menacingly. He readied himself and was able to parry the first blows and kill two of them.  
>Suddenly he felt a searing pain to his side. He looked down and, a little to his surprise, saw that an Orc blade had struck him. While he had been pre-occupied with fighting off the four Orcs, a fifth one had attacked from behind and had buried its blade in the king's side.<p>

Thranduil felt himself slide off his horse. The air was knocked out of him as he landed hard on his back on the forest floor.  
>The Orc blade had struck him deep in the side. His silver travelling cloak was already rapidly staining crimson.<br>The still searing pain from the wound and lack of breath from the fall kept him paralyzed, making it easy for the Orc to approach him again. The foul creature was preparing for the kill and all Thranduil could do was watch. His sword had fallen to the ground, out of his reach, a few yards away from him, leaving him defenceless in every sense of the word.  
>From the corner of his eyes he could see his guards lying motionless on the ground. All of them were brutally slain by the Orcs. So, no help would come from them either…<p>

Thranduil watched wearily as the Orc raised its blade and struck down with all the force it had.  
>A fresh wave of searing pain to his shoulder told Thranduil that he had been struck there. The blade had sunk itself all the was through the Elven King's flesh and into the earth of the forest floor beneath him.<br>Thranduil closed his eyes and ground his teeth together in pain. He would not give the Orc the satisfaction of hearing him scream out.

The Orc smiled down malignantly upon the Elven King, showing black and rotten teeth. Seeing the Elf so helpless was apparently all the satisfaction it needed.  
>It released the hilt of the sword that had wounded the king and snarled something in Black Speech to the other Orcs. Thranduil did not understand what was being said, but suddenly all of the Orcs retreated from the stricken Elf and marched away.<p>

Thranduil listened to the Orcs' thudding footsteps as they retreated. Marching back, no doubt, to Dol Guldur.  
>The Orc blade to his shoulder literally kept him pinned to the ground. The blade had gone through him and sunk itself deep into the forest floor beneath him, making it impossible for Thranduil to move.<br>He felt something he had never felt before: cold. It spread over him, starting from the wounds caused by the Orc blades. Thranduil realized with a shock, that the blades were most likely poisonous. Yes, he could already feel it start to pollute his body.

A fresh wave of agony made him groan softly in pain.  
>He stared up at the roof of leaves high above him and the small patches of sky he could see. The leaves were fresh and green and the sky was a friendly shade of light blue. If he had to die today, at least it was on a beautiful day.<p>

Suddenly Thranduil was startled by a sound to his left. The sound of twigs snapping and the rustling of leaves reached his ears. He quickly turned his head and was relieved to see his horse appearing from the bushes.  
>"Ethuil…" Thranduil breathed out weakly to the grey horse.<br>The animal stopped next to its master and bowed his head to sniff the king. It pressed its nose to Thranduil's upper arm and whinnied softly.

Thranduil looked deeply into the horse's beautiful dark-brown eyes.  
>He could feel himself fade away further with every passing minute. The Orc poison was rapidly eating away at his body and precious blood spilled freely from his wounds.<br>"Run… Ethuil… run" he breathed out to the animal. It took Thranduil a lot of effort to form the words.  
>"Get… Legolas…" he choked out.<br>The horse stomped on the ground and breezed once, almost as if to confirm that he had understood.  
>"Go…" Thranduil whispered weakly to it.<p>

Ethuil reared up high and spun round on its hind legs. At break-neck speed it galloped away, in search of aid for its master.

Thranduil was left behind, lying on his back on the hard and cold forest floor and held prisoner by the Orc blade.  
>He felt darkness start to pull at him, as the poison polluted him yet further. He did not know how much longer he had before the poison would claim his life, but he just hoped Legolas would find him in time… <p>

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><p><strong>Thanks very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.<br>****All reviews are highly appreciated :-)  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

"Legolas, calm down" Tauriel said somewhat irritably.  
>Legolas had been pacing up and down the halls of the Woodland Realm ever since the king and his guards had ridden off into the forest half a day ago.<br>"Your father knows what he is doing" Tauriel continued.  
>Legolas sighed miserably. "I know" he said, "but it is this feeling, like a premonition, that I have. It's like a dark cloud is obscuring my mind. A cloud that is warning me for something evil".<br>"Spiders have been haunting our forest for a long time now, they have never bothered you this much before" Tauriel said.  
>"It is not the spiders that are bothering me. I fear what else might have ventured into our land" Legolas said thoughtfully. He shot Tauriel a worried look, before continuing his pacing up and down the room.<p>

"Thranduil is a good fighter. He battled dragons! Even if they encountered spiders, or something else, he should be able to handle it" Tauriel said in an attempt to comfort Legolas.  
>"You know just as well as me what that last dragon did to him. You, too, have seen the scars. He hasn't fought in a serious fight since that happened" Legolas said.<br>Tauriel opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again without uttering a single word. Legolas was right. The last dragon Thranduil had faced, had burned him badly. She still remembered how they had brought the king in when the troops returned from their battle with that dragon. Burns had been all over his face, neck and chest. Today, the scars of those burns were no longer visible, but Tauriel knew that it was only a façade. Beneath the magic that covered them, the scars would still be etched deep into Thranduil's skin.

Before either Legolas or Tauriel could speak again, they were interrupted by a member of the guard.  
>"Milord Legolas" the guard said urgently, "there is an emergency at the gate. Your assistance is needed".<br>Something in the way the guard spoke, gave Legolas an eerie feeling. Without any hesitation he took off and sprinted in the direction of the gate. Tauriel and the guard followed him closely. 

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><p>Legolas skidded to a halt as soon as he ran out of the halls and onto the mossy ground outside. The scene in front of him, immediately flooded him with fear.<br>Five gatekeepers were trying to corner and capture a snow-white horse, which acted completely wild. It spun round, reared up and kicked out at the Elves. Legolas recognized the horse instantly.  
>"T… that is Ethuil. T… that is my father's horse" he stammered.<br>Tauriel, who had halted beside Legolas now, looked at the horse with wide eyes. She, along with everyone else, knew that the horse returning alone meant no good.

Ethuil reared up high again and whinnied in panic. Its front legs clawed menacingly at the Elves trying to capture him.  
>"Let him go! Stand back!" Legolas ordered the gatekeepers. As one, they turned away from the animal and formed a neat line a few metres away.<br>As soon as he was given some space, Ethuil stood still. He was out of breath and sweating profusely. His muscles were tensed, ready to flee away at any given moment.

"What happened here?" Legolas demanded to know.  
>"The horse came running out of the forest, milord. We tried to capture it, but it is wild" one of the gatekeepers answered.<br>Legolas stared at the horse with a frown on his face. "He is a gentle soul. He never acted this wild before. Something must have happened to him" he said thoughtfully.

Now that the horse finally calmed down a little, it was clear to everyone what message the animal carried. On its neck and along its right shoulder, large red streaks and splatters were visible.  
>"Is that… blood?" Tauriel said quietly. Legolas did not answer, but silently and carefully approached the horse.<br>The animal's fear was almost tangible around him. Legolas gazed deep into Ethuil's eyes, as if speaking unheard words to him.

When he was certain the horse was not going to lash out again, Legolas released his gaze. He slowly ran his fingers over the stains on the horse's coat. The crimson liquid had dried by now, caking the horse's white hairs together. A shiver ran through Legolas as he realized this could very well be his father's blood.

"It is blood, isn't it?" Tauriel said weakly, appearing beside Legolas.  
>"Yes" Legolas answered weakly. They both knew this could only mean the worst.<br>"Round up a posse" Legolas suddenly said determinedly to Tauriel, "ready your horses and arm yourselves. Alert the Healers, they should prepare for the worst".  
>"Are you certain?" Tauriel asked uncertainly.<br>"That's our people and our king out there and they are in peril" Legolas answered, "it is our duty to come to their aid".  
>Tauriel watched Legolas as he took up Ethuil's reins and put his foot in the stir-up of the saddle.<br>"What are you going to do?" she asked.  
>"I'll be riding ahead" Legolas answered determinedly, "they took the usual road to the north, you'll be able to find me".<br>"Whoa, wait!" Tauriel grabbed Legolas tightly by the arm and prevented him from mounting, "what if whatever attacked them is still out there?! You could be riding into a death-trap!"  
>The look in Legolas' eyes told that he was well aware of this risk. "It's my father out there…" he said sadly, "I'll die for him if I have to".<br>Tauriel had to address all her willpower to release her grip on Legolas. "Be safe" she said, "we'll be right behind you".

Legolas swiftly mounted the horse. He had not even properly sat down in the saddle, before Ethuil took off at high speed. The horse whirled around like a whirlwind and galloped away into the forest with the speed of lightning. 

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><p>It was the fastest Legolas had ever ridden through his own forest. Actually, it was the fastest he had ever believed a horse could go. Trees, bushes and streams flew past him left and right, as Ethuil ran like his life depended on it.<br>Legolas held the reins, but it was only for support. It was Ethuil who did all the steering and decided which paths they took. The horse knew exactly where it was going and raced over narrow pathways, through tight turns and jumped over fallen down trees.

With every stride of the horse, the worry in Legolas only grew. His eyes frantically scanned the distance ahead for signs that he had reached the scene of the attack.  
>What would he find when he reached it? Would there be survivors and if so, what state would they be in? He could only hope that some kind of mercy had spared the king and his guards…<p>

Suddenly Ethuil took a sharp left turn, took a giant leap over some bramble bushes and came to an immediate stand-still on the other side of it. Legolas felt his breath hitch in his chest as he saw where Ethuil had led him.  
>They had reached a narrow part of the Elven Road through Mirkwood. The trees were dense in this part of the forest, allowing only a little sunlight to shine through the roof of leaves, bathing the entire scene in an eerie and grim light.<p>

Legolas knew immediately that he had reached the scene of the attack and that his hopes had been futile.  
>A few yards ahead of him lay the bodies of Orcs and members of the king's guard. All were dead, slain by one another. Not one of them moved or made a sound.<br>Legolas felt an extreme cold creep up along his back, as he realized that all the Elves that had set off with Thranduil had been cruelly killed.  
>He dismounted and crossed the last few yards that still separated him from the bodies on the ground.<br>"Father?" he called out weakly. Apart from a bird taking flight, everything around him remained quiet. He took a few hesitant steps forward and looked intently at the bodies lying on the forest floor. Each had been brutally and mercilessly slain by the Mordor-scum, but he was glad to see that the guards had also managed to slay quite a large number of Orcs. The Elves had certainly not gone down without a fight.

"Father?" Legolas tried again, this time louder. Still no answer followed, but it was not necessary anymore. Legolas had spotted something that nearly made his heart stop.  
>Another Elf lay on the forest floor, a little away from the others. This one lay on his back, unmoving, with an Orc blade still protruding from a shoulder. Legolas immediately recognized the silver travelling cloak and the long, white hair.<p>

"Father!" Legolas called out in fear. He ran the last few metres and fell to his knees beside his father's body.  
>Thranduil lay on his back, spread-eagled on the damp and cold forest floor. Blood was still spilling freely from a wound to his side. An Orc blade was stuck in his shoulder, keeping him pinned to the ground as it had bitten itself deep into the earth on which the Elven King lay.<br>"Father?" Legolas choked out, while taking in the king's horrific injuries, "please, father, don't be dead…" 

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><p><strong>Thanks again for reading, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.<br>****All reviews are most welcome and appreciated :-)  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my dear readers! I am sorry you all had to wait so long for this next chapter...  
><strong>**I hope you do enjoy it. All reviews are highly appreciated! :-)  
><strong>

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><p>Thranduil lay completely still after he had sent his horse away. He knew the animal would find its way home and Legolas would realize something was amiss when the horse returned riderless.<p>

Even though help would be on the way soon, worry still started to nag at Thranduil. The Orc blade was poisonous and he could feel the poison starting to take effect on his body. His vision was starting to blur around the edges and occasionally black spots would appear. His breathing was getting more and more laboured and his wounds seared with pain. And for the first time in his long life, he felt cold.

With his left hand Thranduil reached for the Orc blade still stuck in his right shoulder and still leaking ever more poison into his body. He groaned audibly, as even the lightest movement of the sword sent a fresh wave of searing pain through him and he quickly pulled his hand away from the sword.  
>He lay still again and stared up at the sky without actually seeing it.<br>"Hurry, Legolas" he whispered to himself and slowly closed his eyes.

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><p>He could not quite remember at what point he had lost consciousness. But the first thing Thranduil recalled again when he was waking up, was the feeling of the ground shaking beneath him and the sound of something thundering his way.<br>He opened his eyes a fraction and just listened to the sound intensifying. What if it was more Orcs coming his way? This time they would certainly not let him live…

The thundering noises grew louder and the source of it was very close to him now.  
>All at once, the entire forest fell silent. No bird nor beast made a sound, and even the wind seemed to have ceased. It was like the silence before a storm and Thranduil feared what that storm might bring.<p>

"Father?" It was Legolas' voice that broke the absolute silence.  
>"Legolas…" Thranduil tried to say the word with force, so to attract his son's attention, but it never grew louder than a whisper. He heard Legolas call out to him again, but still he did not manage to respond with much volume.<p>

Suddenly, Legolas was by Thranduil's side, kneeling down on the cold and damp forest floor.  
>"Father?!" The fear was evident in Legolas' voice.<br>"Please, father…" Legolas whispered, "please, don't be dead".  
>"No, my son" Thranduil answered softly. His voice had lost its deep, regal tone and all that was left now was a hoarse and weak whisper.<br>Legolas sighed deeply in relief upon hearing signs of life from the king.

Thranduil slowly opened his eyes further to look at his son. Worry was etched all over Legolas' face as he stared back at his father.  
>"Y-you're… injured" Legolas said shocked.<br>Thranduil chuckled darkly. "Don't say things I already know" he said softly.

Legolas stared silently at his father's injuries. It had been a long time since he had seen his father this severely injured and never before had he seen him so weak and vulnerable. Even after the dragon fire had burned him, Thranduil had been strong and never helpless. But now he _was_ helpless…

Legolas' eyes lingered on the sword protruding from Thranduil's right shoulder. This did not go unnoticed by the king.  
>"My son…" Thranduil started, "you need to help me…".<br>Legolas tore his gaze away from the Orc blade and looked his father in the eye again.  
>"What?" he said softly.<br>"You will have to help me" Thranduil breathed out weakly, "you must pull the sword out. I cannot move with it stuck in me".

Horror was clear on Legolas' face upon hearing these words.  
>"Father, no…" he said fearfully.<br>"Legolas" Thranduil said a little more sternly now. He watched his son's face change, as the young prince reached the conclusion that he had no other choice than to liberate his father from the blade.  
>"Alright" Legolas finally answered. The quiver in his voice betrayed the fear he was feeling inside.<br>Thranduil nodded once, to ensure his son that it was the right thing to do.

Legolas stood up without another word and crossed to Thranduil's other side.  
>He carefully wrapped his hands around the handle of the Orc blade.<br>Legolas' blue eyes met with Thranduil's. "I'm sorry" he whispered sadly.  
>Thranduil averted his gaze from his injured shoulder and closed his eyes against the pain he knew would be coming.<p>

Legolas sucked in a deep breath and tightened his grip on the handle. With all his strength he pulled at the blade and in one swift motion he was able to free the weapon from the forest floor and the king's flesh.  
>Thranduil screamed out in pain as the blade was pulled from his body. As soon as he was able to move again, he rolled himself onto his side and curled in on himself. He lay with his eyes closed, breathing hard and trying to deal with this immense pain.<br>"Ada, are you alright?" Legolas asked softly. Thranduil felt his son's hand on his uninjured shoulder.  
>"No" Thranduil answered honestly, "the blade… is poisonous…"<p>

Panic gripped Legolas' heart again, as he heard this news. For a few seconds he looked down at his father lying on the ground, injured and poisoned.  
>"I will get you home" he finally said determinedly.<p>

Legolas bent down and helped Thranduil sit upright. It was clear that the king was not well. He was pale, beads of sweat were visible on his face and his breathing was erratic. Even the simple action of sitting up, left the king in the need to catch his breath.  
>"Can you walk?" Legolas asked concernedly.<br>"Not without assistance" Thranduil answered.

Now that he sat upright, Thranduil had the chance to look around at the carnage.  
>"You came alone?" he asked incredulously, at the lack of other Elves apart from his son.<br>"Tauriel is coming with the rest of the guard, I rode ahead" Legolas answered.  
>Even though severely injured, Thranduil still had the strength to shoot his son a glaring look.<br>"How unwise" he said.  
>"I had no other choice, father. I did not know what I would find here" Legolas defended himself.<br>"Exactly…" Thranduil said gravely.

Both the prince and the king realized this was not the time to argue, and they fell silent again.  
>Legolas pulled Thranduil's arm around his neck and, with all his might, hoisted the king to his feet.<br>Thranduil stood unsteady, leaning heavily into his son. He stood slightly hunched, grabbing at the wound to his side which was clearly causing him a lot of pain.  
>"Will you be okay?" Legolas asked.<br>"We need to ride fast" Thranduil said softly, "the poison, I… I… feel it…"

Legolas whistled to call the king's horse to him. The animal came trotting their way, having wandered off a little.  
>With a giant effort and a lot of help from Legolas, Thranduil was able to get into the saddle. Legolas lightly climbed onto the horse too and sat behind his father. He took the reins in one hand and held his other arm around his father to prevent the king from falling off.<br>"Run, Ethuil" Legolas said to the horse, "run, like you have never done before".

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><p>The ride back to the halls of the Woodland Realm went even faster than the ride from it.<br>Ethuil did as he was told, and ran like he had never run before. Many times Legolas had the feeling he would slam into a tree or fall into one of the streams, but he knew the horse would never allow that to happen.

All the way home, Legolas kept one arm tightly wrapped around Thranduil's body. With every passing minute he could feel the king grow ever weaker. His breathing was getting more uneven, blood was still spilling from his wounds and the warmth slowly started to disappear from his body.  
>"Hold on, father" Legolas whispered into the king's ear, "hold on, we're nearly there".<p>

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><p>Ethuil thundered onto the stone courtyard in front of the entrance gates to the halls and came to a skidding stop.<br>"Help!" Legolas yelled to the guards, "the king is injured! Bring the Healers here now!"  
>The guards immediately sprang to action and did as they were told.<p>

Legolas quickly jumped off the horse, but when he meant to help Thranduil down as well, he realized that the king was not responding.  
>Thranduil sat hunched, chin resting on his chest. The only thing apparently still keeping him upright, was Legolas' arm still holding onto him.<br>"Father?" Legolas asked fearfully.  
>No answer followed, neither in word nor movement. Thranduil stayed completely silent and still…<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

"Father!" Yet again Legolas felt panic and fear flood him. Fear that he would lose something very dear to him.

Legolas quickly, but carefully, lifted Thranduil off the horse and laid him down on the stones of the courtyard.  
>"Where are those Healers?!" he yelled to the guards that were left on the square. Legolas knew that some guards had already run off to fetch the Healers, but his fear made him impatient.<br>Thranduil groaned softly and fitfully rolled his head from left to right.  
>"It's alright, father" Legolas said soothingly, "help is on the way. You're safe, you're home".<br>The king groaned again, but never fully regained consciousness.

Suddenly Legolas was gently pushed aside. He looked up to see three Healers standing around him.  
>He quickly got to his feet and provided them with the space they needed. He wringed his hands together in tension, as he watched the Healers examine the king.<br>"We need to treat these wounds immediately" one of the Healers said after having a quick look at the king's injuries, "take him to the Healers' quarters".

The Healers hailed over a few of the guards, who carefully lifted up the king and carried him inside.  
>Legolas followed them at a trot, unsure about what the near future would bring for him now. <p>

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><p>Thranduil was brought to the Healers' quarters. They crossed through the last door, that led to the hall where the wounded and the sick were always treated.<p>

Legolas still followed without thinking, but was quickly stopped by one of the Healers.  
>"I am sorry, milord. You cannot follow in here" the Healer said.<br>"But… my father…" Legolas almost sounded like a small child afraid of being left alone.  
>"I am sorry" the Healer repeated, "I cannot allow you in here. We need to treat the king's wounds now".<br>"But…" Legolas tried to protest.  
>"We will find you when we have news, milord" the Healer interrupted. He was not unfriendly, but an undertone in his voice made it clear that he would not go into further discussion with the prince.<br>"I understand" Legolas sighed miserably. It was not what he wanted, but he knew that the Healers needed time and space to take care of his father.

The door to the Healers' quarters closed softly, robbing Legolas of his view of his father.  
>All he could do now, was pray that everything would be alright. <p>

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><p>The next few hours were a blur and Legolas would later only remember bits and pieces of it.<p>

After the Healer had sent him away, Legolas wandered back to the courtyard. He did not really know why he went back there, but his feet simply carried him that way.

His father's horse, Ethuil, stood exactly where they had left it. Crimson blood still caked the hairs on the horse's neck and shoulder together.  
>Legolas felt a sting in his heart as he looked at the blood. For the first time he was truly hit with the realization that it was his father's blood. The same blood that ran through his own veins, was splattered all over the horse.<p>

Legolas slowly walked over to the animal and placed a hand on its nose. The horse was still sweating and breathing faster than normal. Part of it would surely come from the running it had done, but the horse also still appeared to be quite stressed.  
>"Calm down" Legolas whispered to the horse, "I know you have seen terrible things today". Ethuil whinnied softly, almost as if answering the Elf.<p>

Legolas slowly led the horse back to the stables and carefully removed its saddle and bridle.  
>He fetched a bucket of water and a sponge and gently started to wash the blood from the horse's coat. He did it very slowly, watching every drop of blood roll off the horse and onto the ground. The now again liquid blood clung to Legolas' hands and stained them.<p>

Time went by quickly and at the same time it stood still. Washing the blood off the horse's coat was quite hard on Legolas. Much harder than he would have anticipated.  
>The relationship with his father was erratic to say the least. They weren't always the best of friends, actually, they disagreed quite a lot. But now that he was so close to losing his father, Legolas finally realized how much he actually cared for him. And if he lost him, that he would be parentless.<p>

These grim thoughts took him away from the here and now and pulled him into a world of thought. A world of memories. Some long-lost, some more recent.

"Legolas?" The young prince nearly jumped a feet into the air at the sudden sound of his name being called. He whirled around at the source of the sound.  
>"Tauriel" Legolas greeted the red-haired Elf. She stood a few feet away from him and had a worried look on her face.<br>"Are you alright?" she asked carefully.  
>Legolas did not answer immediately. He stared from the blood staining his hands, to the blood still clinging to Ethuil's coat. "No" he finally said.<p>

Tauriel walked over to Legolas and placed a hand on his forearm.  
>"Thranduil will be fine. He will recover from his wounds" she said softly. Tauriel knew she could never be sure about this and many things could still go wrong, but it felt like the right thing to say.<br>"I don't know" Legolas answered sadly, "these Orcs hurt him bad".  
>"He is a strong man" Tauriel threw in, "he survived dragon fire".<br>Legolas quietly stared down at the floor. "I just won't sleep, until I know for sure that he will survive".

For a while there was silence.  
>"I am sure you did not come here to pick my soul up off the floor" Legolas broke the quiet after a while.<br>"No, at least, not at first" Tauriel answered with a slight smile, "we need orders". She spoke the last words as if she was embarrassed to bother the young prince with this.  
>"Tell me what we know so far" Legolas said.<br>"We brought the bodies of the deceased back home" she started, "five members of the guard tracked the Orcs, but they had already left our lands. We do not know exactly where they have gone, we haven't tracked them beyond our borders, but my guess is Dol Guldur".  
>"Undoubtedly" Legolas commented darkly.<br>"We haven't captured any of the Orcs responsible for this massacre" Tauriel continued, "what do you want us to do?"  
>Legolas thought for a while on the situation. "Tell everyone to return to their daily duties" he finally said, "no need to risk any more lives with a futile revenge mission".<p>

Tauriel soundlessly nodded her head. It remained quite unreadable whether or not she agreed with Legolas' decision.  
>"Of course" she said, "but I need you to come with me. You cannot stay here in the stables all by yourself".<br>"You shouldn't worry about me" Legolas said softly, "I'll be fine".  
>"But I do!" Tauriel said. She moved to stand right in front of Legolas and looked straight into his bright blue eyes. "I do worry about you" she said, "I worry, because I care for you".<br>Legolas did not respond, but simply stared back at her.

"Come on" Tauriel said after a few moments of silence. She closed her hand around Legolas' forearm and carefully steered him towards the exit of the stables. Legolas allowed himself to be pulled along without any protest.

Together, the two Elves left the stables behind and returned to the courtyard.  
>It was there, that they nearly bumped into a member of the king's guard, who had come running their way.<br>"Whoa, mind where you're going" Tauriel said a little irritably.  
>"I am sorry, my captain" the guard quickly apologized to her, "but I carry word for you, milord". The guard turned towards Legolas.<br>"Tell me" Legolas simply commanded, for he could already guess the guard was sent by the Healers.  
>"I carry word of the king's condition, sir" the guard said, "the Healers request your presence immediately…". <p>

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><p><strong>Thanks again for reading!<br>****All reviews are still highly appreciated! :-)**


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